Why Isn't The Book Of Enoch Canon?
High School Essay #7
This was written during the early months of my senior year of high school! I found this subject quite interesting, I hope you do as well!
The book of Enoch is a Hebrew apocalyptic Scriptural text. It is narrated by the Patriarch Enoch, the seventh from Adam. Enoch was the great-grandfather of Noah. He walked with God and was taken. Along with Elijah, he was one of only two humans not to die. The book of Enoch has five different sections, each of which are unique. There are copies and fragments of the book of Enoch that have been found in several different languages. One of the most fascinating parts of the book of Enoch are the descriptions of the Watchers and the Nephilim. The book of Enoch is a controversial text that ultimately was rejected during canonization.
The book of Enoch contains five different sections. The first spreads over the first thirty-six chapters. They detail Enoch’s celestial journeys. They speak of the fall of the Sons of Man, the angels. The second section covers chapters thirty-seven through seventy-one. It bears witness to the coming of the Son of Man, the Messiah. It is called “The Parables,” or the Similitudes, of Enoch. The third part of the book is called “The Book of The Heavenly Luminaries.” It is astronomical and spans chapters seventy-two through eighty-two. The fourth treatise of the book of Enoch covers chapters eighty-three through ninety. It contains two of Enoch’s visions. The first vision is about the flood. The second describes the history of the world from Adam to the Messianic age. Lastly, the fifth part of the book of Enoch, covering chapters ninety-one through one hundred and seven, has a speech of moral admonition from Enoch to his family.
There are copies and fragments of the book of Enoch from several different languages. Most of them are in the Ge’ez, or the Ethiopic, language, but other parts exist in Greek, Coptic, Syriac, Latin, and Aramaic. Aramaic fragments of many parts of the book of Enoch were found among the dead sea scrolls. However, the fifth part of the book of Enoch denies the doctrine of predestination found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Though it has other similarities, this text is not found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
One of the most interesting parts of the book of Enoch is the story of the Watchers and the Nephilim. The Watchers, otherwise known as Sons of God or fallen angels, teach Man wicked and twisted crafts. … Azazel taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them, and bracelets, and ornaments, and the use of antimony, and the beautifying of the eyelids, and all kinds of costly stones, and all colouring Tinctures. And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways. Semjaza taught enchantments and root−cuttings, Armaros the resolving of enchantments, Baraqijal taught astrology, Kokabel the constellations, Ezeqeel the knowledge of the clouds, Araqiel the signs of the earth, Shamsiel the signs of the sun, and Sariel the course of the moon. And as men perished, they cried, and their cry went up to heaven. Enoch is a messenger to the Watchers, condemning them for their sin and declaring their doom. The sons of the Watchers born to them by the daughters of men are called the Nephilim, and they were giants in the earth. The Bible says they were “men of renown,” while the book of Enoch describes them as being so large that they ran out of food and began to turn against men and eat them.
Although the book of Enoch is narrated by Enoch, Enoch is sometimes referred to in the third person and sometimes in the first person. There are discrepancies with the Bible in places, although there are several places where Enoch agrees with Genesis, such as this passage. Chapter 3 of Book 1 says “And it came to pass when the children of men had multiplied that in those days were born unto them beautiful and comely daughters. And the angels, the children of the heaven, saw and lusted after them, and said to one another: "Come, let us choose us wives from among the children of men and beget us children. And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them. And they taught them charms and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, andmade them acquainted with plants. And they became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against them and devoured mankind" (Enoch 1:3:1-2, 7-9) In Genesis, the Bible says: ““And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6: 1-5) Many scholars believe that the book of Enoch was written by several different people over a long period of time. The first part is supposed to be written in the late second century BC, while the second part dates from the first century BC. The third part is supposed to date from before 100 BC. This is during the four hundred silent years, when God did not send any prophets to his people. Also, though the book is supposed to be written by the Biblical Enoch before the flood, the only way the book could have survived the flood is by oral tradition. Although the book of Enoch was considered Scripture, it ultimately did not pass the test of canonization. The criteria used to determine canonical Scripture are these, though the Apostolic origin does not apply in this case: attributed to and/or based on the preaching/teaching of the first generation apostles, or their closest companies, universal acceptance, acknowledged by all major Christian communities in the Mediterranean world by the end of the fourth century, liturgical use, and a consistent message. The book of Enoch is not universally accepted. However, it is quoted in the book of Jude: And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 14-15)
The book of Enoch is an interesting but non-canonical Scriptural text. It contains five parts and fragments are found in several different languages. Though there are many agreements with Scripture, there are also inconsistencies. The book of Enoch, though providing some interesting material for thought, especially about the pre-flood world, cannot be confirmed as Scripture and thus is not in the Bible today.
RESOURCES
Q+R: Nephilim, Enoch, Satan and Demons (episode 5). (n.d.). https://thebibleproject.simplecast.com/episodes/2da494ba-46a58359
Wikipedia contributors. (2023b, November 27). Book of Enoch. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Enoch
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ENOCH: Standard English Version (J. Winter, Trans.). (2015). [Pdf]. Dr. Jay Winter.
Biblical literature | Definition, Types, Significance, Survey, & Development. (1998, October 19). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/The-Book-of-Enoch
Jordan, J. M. (2023, January 15). Reasons Why Historical Christians Reject the
Book of Enoch (Should You Stay Away from the Book of Enoch?). Christian Faith Guide. https://christianfaithguide.com/reasons-why-historical-christians-reject-the-book-of-enoch/#:~:text=There%20are%20some%20reasons%20why%20historical%20Christians%20did,factual%20inaccuracies%2C%20and%20lastly%20had%20no%20true%20author.
What are the four criteria for canonization? – Short-Fact. (2021, April 21). https://short-fact.com/what-are-the-four-criteria-for-canonization/#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20four%20criteria%20for%20canonization%3F%201,fourth%20century%29%203%20Liturgical%20Use.%204%20Consistent%20Message.
Smith, S. H. (2023, September 14). What Is the Book of Enoch and Should it be in the Bible? Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-book-of-enoch-and-should-it-be-in-the-bible.html
Biblical literature | Definition, Types, Significance, Survey, & Development. (1998b, October 19). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/The-Book-of-Enoch#ref597939
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